God's Menagerie
by orange sodap0p
Summary: Furuba/Jumanji fusion. "I'll go next!" Momiji scooped up the dice, shaking them. Letting go, the dice rolled to a stop. "Seven!" Momiji cheered, reaching for his rabbit. But before he touched it, the little figurine slowly slid across the path on its own.
1. Heaven's Vault

**Disclaimer for the ENTIRE story:** I don't own Fruits Basket. If I did I wouldn't be wasting my college degree by working in retail. Anyone need to hire an animator? XD Also, Scrabble is mentioned at some point. I don't own that either. Or Jumanji! Though I do own a copy of the DVD, lol.

**A/N:** Wow is this story old. I bet no one even remembers it! This was my very first fic I ever wrote way back in 2006, but I wasn't sure what I was doing with it, and eventually took it down because there were too many plot holes. But now it's back, and it's still incomplete, but at least this time I have an outline for the rest of the story.

* * *

**God's Menagerie**

**Chapter 1: Heaven's Vault**

* * *

It was one of those days, the kind where there just wasn't anything to do. The dark clouds drifted gradually overhead, and Momiji found himself transfixed for a long time, watching them form into odd shapes. Today was suppose to be the day he would have fun with Hatori, but it turned out he had a lot of paper work to do. All Momiji could do now was sit on the deck with his legs sprawled out, feeling the slow elapse of time. Suddenly, Hatori coughed where he sat, standing up from his desk, and disappearing hastily into another room. The sound alerted Momiji, and his thoughts returned to what he should do around this dull, boring place. Before he knew it, his feet had balanced him to a stand, and his legs carried him around the Sohma estate. He wouldn't wander far of course, for Hari's sake.

His legs continued to move him past the other houses, their doors shut, locking the occupants inside. The Sohma grounds once busy with activity, now sat in silence. No one came out to enjoy the day or the slight breeze that ruffled Momiji's hair.

Slowing to a stop, Momiji's eyes soaked in his surroundings. He wandered all the way across the estate and found himself standing in the shadow of one of the houses, the building looming over him, almost daring him to come closer. Tilting his head to the side, he placed a finger on his lips as his face scrunched up in contemplation. This house sat away from the others and was plain, unlike the homes that at least had some sort of personal flare to them - frilly curtains in the windows or flowers planted in the front yard. No floral arrangements graced this lawn; no little knickknacks adorned this deck. With curiosity biting at his heels, Momiji forgot all about Hatori and let his legs take control of him once again. After rounding the house once, Momiji's interest increased despite the building's dull appearance. He wanted to go inside.

As Momiji climbed the steps onto the deck, he glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone else was around. Finding no one, he reached his hand to the door and slowly slid it open. The outside sunlight sliced through the darkness, illuminating the small room. Poking his head inside, the Rabbit couldn't see into any other rooms or corners - shadows stretched from wall to wall, and for the first time, Momiji realized metal bars lined this home's only window.

Wavering by the door, Momiji took a hesitant step inside.

* * *

Hatori reclined in his chair, taking a long drag from his cigarette. Closing his eyes, he tried to push all thoughts of his paper work and the evening check-up on Akito out if his mind. Maybe, maybe if he concentrated hard enough, it would all disappear? Slowly opening his eyes, the amount of paper work still sat, waiting for him to complete it. Hatori shook his head, ridding himself of the ridiculous thought - he'd been spending too much time around Shigure and Ayame. His papers wouldn't complete themselves and somebody had to take care of them. With a sigh, Hatori sat upright in his chair and eyed his papers - he could have sworn the pile grew larger while he wasn't watching.

Suddenly, his door slid open revealing the hyperactive Rabbit.

"Hari! Hari! Look what I found!" Momiji pranced into the room, dumping a fairly large, rectangular box onto Hatori's desk, knocking off a stack of papers in the process. "It's a game! Play with me! Hari, Hari! Play with me, please!"

The Dragon stared dumbfounded at the intruding box, then to Momiji, then to the scattered papers covering his floor. Sighing, he rubbed his temples and replied, "Momiji, I don't have time for this. I need to complete this paper work."

Momiji's enthusiastic expression melted into a frown in a matter of seconds. "But Hari, you said you'd spend time with me today..."

Ignoring the blonde's hurt expression, Hatori asked, "Can't you find Haru?"

"But he's with Yuki today," Momiji explained, pouting. Then, "Ah!" Momiji exclaimed, punching a fist into the air, his smile slapped back onto his face. "Hari, Hari, can you take me to Shigure's? Please? I can see To-ru! And Kyo! And Haru and Yuki, too! Please, Hari?"

Reaching for his keys, Hatori muttered, "Get in the car." At least now, he could work in peace.

Grabbing the box, Momiji raced out of the house, not bothering to wait for Hatori.

* * *

"_-the ska-"_

Boring.

"_-for case-"_

No one cares.

"_-oment of-"_

Next.

"_-howers in the evening. It will continue to rain off and on through out the night and into early morning. Tomorrow will be a high of..."_

Great, Kyo thought, his eyes narrowing at the television in annoyance. Rain. Closing his eyes momentarily, he let a sigh escape his lips. He had a feeling there would be an oncoming storm - everything seemed to move in slow motion today. Rising to his feet, Kyo turned off the television and leisurely walked towards the back deck. The sound of running water and the clinking of glasses bumping against each other reached his ears as he passed the kitchen triggering thoughts of Tohru in his mind. With a smile gracing his features, he slid open the door, greeted by a warm summer breeze as he stepped onto the porch. Sitting down, he adjusted himself until his back rested against the wall and he tilted his head up to watch the clouds slowly darken across the afternoon sky. Sure, he probably should have went to his room to lay down to prevent himself from having to sluggishly move there later, but Haru was visiting that damn Rat and he didn't want to risk seeing them upstairs. He just didn't feel like yelling at or fighting either of them right now.

"Kyo-kun?"

Kyo snapped his eyes open. He didn't remember closing them... "What do you want?" It came out harsher than he intended. Damn.

Tohru started, and wrung her hands together nervously. She was used to his sudden outbursts, but sometimes she was still caught off guard. "Well, I-I heard you walk by and I'm done with the dishes and I figured..." Tohru trailed off, catching Kyo staring at her, waiting for her to finish. She smiled her goofy smile and said, "Haru-kun is with Yuki-kun, so I thought I could sit with you."

Kyo smiled softly at her, the one he only let her see. Tohru was just too damn cute. "Yeah, sure," he replied, returning his gaze to the clouds as she seated herself next to him.

Time slowly crept by, and a calm silence fell between the two. Then, "Uhm, Kyo-kun?"

"Yeah?" Kyo shifted so he was looking at Tohru.

A small blush crept across Tohru's face as she captured his attention. "I was thinking about the zodiac legend the other day... And Shigure-san was kind enough to let me use his computer to look it up online," she smiled at this and asked, "Did you know that in Vietnam, the Cat replaces the Rabbit?"

Kyo's eyes widened at this revelation. "Seriously? The Cat's part of the zodiac and the Rabbit is the outcast?"

Tohru gave a quick nod. "Yep! And there was even a little biography about the Cat, like how there are ones about the other animals." She felt a warmth inside her, by her heart, as she watched him smile at the thought of the Cat being part of the zodiac.

"Huh...born in the wrong country," Kyo muttered. "So, what did it say? About the Cat?" He had to admit, this was interesting. He never knew the Cat was accepted elsewhere in the world.

Not missing a beat, Tohru babbled off, "Well, it said Cats are very talented and good with words and are very patient. It also said.. It also said..." Tohru could feel her face heating up, and she suddenly found the ground very interesting. "Uhm..."

Kyo sat up straighter, eager to hear the rest. So far, he didn't think he qualified for most of those traits. He wasn't good with words or very patient, but his talent in martial arts had to count for something, right? "Yeah? What else did it say?"

Tohru continued to fidget. "It, uh, it said that Cats are held dear to people and even, uhm, became a symbol for...uhh..." Tohru took a peek at Kyo from the corner of her eye and felt her blush deepen. He was waiting patiently for her to continue. She couldn't stop now...and she didn't want to lie to him either... Squeezing her eyes shut, she quickly rambled out the rest, slurring her words together.

He blinked. She spoke too fast; he didn't understand her. Slightly tilting his head to the side, Kyo asked, "What's that?"

"A symbol..for s-sex affaire.." she finished meekly.

Kyo's eyes went wide and his face turned as red as his hair. What the hell was wrong with people? Saying things like that!

"And uhm...in Vietnamese...'cat' is supposed to mean, uhm, s-sex partner..." Tohru blushed, stumbling over that certain word.

Kyo buried his face in his hands. The Cat is finally included somewhere and they go and give it a title like that! Kyo sighed, wondering if it was, in fact, better to be left out completely.

"Ah! Ah! Kyo-kun!" Tohru hovered over him, waving her arms frantically. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable! I just wanted to make you happy by telling you that the Cat isn't always left out!"

Kyo slowly slid his hands away from his face, revealing that soft smile reserved just for her. "How many times have I told you to stop saying sorry when it isn't necessary?" he lightly scolded her. "And," he paused, watching her calm down, "Thanks. I appreciate that...knowing that somewhere, the Cat is accepted."

Tohru smiled at him and scooted a little bit closer. If Yuki-kun was right about anything, Kyo-kun was easy to rile up, but Tohru found it just as easy to calm him down. She felt something stirring inside of her, an unfamiliar feeling...

_Slam._

Tohru's thoughts were ripped from her as she heard the sound of a car door banging shut. "Oh! Someone's here!" Standing up, she rushed inside, leaving Kyo to himself.

"To-ru!" Momiji squealed, diving onto the girl.

_Poof!_

"Eh? Ah! Momiji-kun!" Tohru exclaimed, holding onto the little bunny. "It's very nice of you to visit!" Looking over the Rabbit's head, Tohru saw Hatori step into the house as well. "Hatori-san!" Tohru gave a quick bow.

Hatori spared her a nod as he walked further into the house and set Momiji's game onto the table. "I just came to drop him off," he explained. Turning his attention to Momiji, he spoke, "Call when you and Haru want to come back. Try not to stay too late, though. I have to check on Akito tonight, and he won't want any interruptions." Momiji nodded, and before Hatori could escape, a certain Dog popped out of his study.

"Haa-san! I thought I heard you come in!" Shigure beamed. Then, catching Tohru showing Hatori to the door, he gasped, playfully covering his mouth. "Hari! You're trying to steal our flower! For shame! I'm hurt, Hari, I really am! She was to become my bride and you didn't even ask!"

"Keep yappin' and I'll hurt you for real," Kyo emerged, glaring at the Dog, one hand curled into a fist.

Shigure backed away nervously, holding up his hands, "Now, now, Kyo, no need for violence. Fighting only leads to my house breaking...or in this case, maybe even me breaking. You wouldn't want our little flower to worry, now would you?"

Before Kyo could respond, Momiji changed back, causing Tohru to squeal and turn around.

Hatori shook his head. "Remember to call," he reminded Momiji. Opening the door, he stepped out into a light rain and into his car. The engine started, the window wipers coming on. Hatori pulled away, returning to the Main House.

"Well now, what a pleasant visit," Shigure's smile contrasting against Kyo's glare.

Pleasant? Kyo snorted, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. Hatori only came to drop off an unwanted annoyance, who Kyo noted still had yet to finish dressing. "Put some clothes on, Rabbit." Sighing, Kyo muttered under his breath, and straightened himself out, mind set on his room. It was drizzling and Kyo felt a nap coming on. But before he took his first step, Yuki and Haru emerged from the stairwell, blocking his path. Great, Kyo thought bitterly, more unwanted annoyances.

Shigure observed the crowded hallway and sensed it was time to leave. "I'm going to return to my study, go play and do whatever you kids do - just don't break anything." And with that, the Dog walked himself into his study and shut the door. As a habit, he paused and listened for the sound of anything breaking. Hearing nothing, he nodded his head with a smile and sat himself back down in front of his computer.

With Momiji fully clothed, Tohru turned back around. "So, Momiji-kun! What brings you here?"

Momiji blinked his eyes, then all at once his face grew bright as he exclaimed, "Oh yeah!" Bounding into the main room, he called over his shoulder, "I brought over a board game! Will you play with me Tohru?"

Tohru smiled at the blonde's excitement. "Of course!" Quickly, she followed Momiji while listening intently to all of his chattering.

"A game, huh?" Haru said, then turned to Yuki. "Wanna play?"

Yuki shrugged, not knowing what else to do. "I guess so."

"What about you, Kyo?" Haru asked.

"Nah," the Cat waved a hand. "I'm not going to play anything that damn Rat's playing. Besides, I'm tired. I'm going to lie down."

Kyo started to push past the Ox, when Haru smirked. "Look at that, Yuki. A forfeit. Free win for you."

Kyo instantly snapped back around. "Who said I forfeited?" Shoving a finger in Yuki's direction, he shouted, "I'll beat you!"

Yuki sighed, walking into the next room. "I do tire of that line..."

"Shut up! This time I will win!"

"Just like last time?"

"Last time...! Last time...was a fluke!"

Haru chuckled to himself as he followed the bickering pair to the table. Momiji was already seated next to Tohru. Placing himself down next to Yuki, Kyo was left with the end.

The Cat slumped onto the table, burying his head into his arms. That stupid argument zapped his energy, and now he felt worse than before. Raising his head just a little, he saw Yuki reaching for the box. Across from the Rat sat Tohru, and Kyo smiled into his arms. He wasn't playing to beat Yuki; he was playing just to spend more time with her, to watch her smile and laugh. That's what he decided to do, wasn't it? To quit fighting and to just enjoy the rest of his time with her... And his time was running out quick.

Yuki peered at the plain, rectangular wooden box. It had a few words carved onto the surface. "Heaven's Vault," Yuki read aloud. The top of the box slid off easily enough, and once Yuki discarded the lid, he examined the contents inside: one game board, a piece of paper, and a drawstring bag. Carefully, Yuki pulled out the rectangular board and handed it off to Haru, who unfolded it and laid it on the center of the table. Yuki then took out the small velvet pouch in one hand and the paper he assumed to be the instructions in the other.

Yuki ran a hand over the smooth board, his eyes soaking in the detailed drawing. The game board was drawn carefully in pen and ink, the color faded from over time. In one corner laid a sketch of a town, and from the town stretched a path, leading through a field and forest until reaching a great river. On the other side of the river sat another town, one that looked in much better condition than the first. The path was divided up into squares for the game pieces to sit in, and a raised, glass oval sat in the very center of the board.

His hand slid from the board to the small pouch and loosened the strings. Turning the bag upside down, a pair of dice rolled out, mixed together with many tiny, silver figurines. Picking a miniature rat out of the pile, Yuki held it near his eyes for a closer look. Scanning the other pieces, Yuki realized with surprise that they were all animals, and the animals of the zodiac no less. "Momiji," Yuki's attention locked onto the Rabbit. "Where did you find this?"

Momiji's eyes darted from Yuki to Kyo's now sleeping form. "Around." Reaching for the figurines, he selected the rabbit.

"Never mind where he found it," Haru said, fishing through the pile of animals until he found the ox. "This is cool. It's like someone made a game about us."

Tohru's eyes searched through the remaining animals. Sheep..boar..

"Hey!" Momiji pointed. "Look! Hari's dragon isn't a seahorse!"

"Ah! You're right, Momiji-kun!" The dragon was shaped like a Chinese dragon and not a seahorse. Tohru smiled as she continued to hunt through the animals. Monkey...tiger...snake... Ah! There it is! Tohru's smile widened. "Look, Kyo-kun! There's a cat, too!"

Kyo started, his eyes snapping open. "Wha?" His head buzzed as he looked at the table. Oh yeah...Momiji's game... The little animals laid in a pile. Following Tohru's finger, he saw the miniature cat. It rolled away from the others when Yuki dumped them out of the bag. Kyo sighed, even in a board game, the cat was still separated.

Tohru reached for the dog, when her eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh!" Standing, she dashed away from the table and disappeared down the hall, leaving four stunned boys at the table. Yuki glanced at Haru, who shrugged.

Without hesitating, Tohru knocked on the door, and softly called, "Shigure-san?"

The door slid open, revealing the Dog, a pencil tucked behind his ear. "Yes, my little flower?"

"I'm sorry to bother you," she started, "but Momiji's game, the pieces are animals and there is a dog. Would you like to play?"

Shigure gently patted her head. "Oh no," he smiled. "That's okay. I have to finish this manuscript before Mit-chan comes, then I need to think of a good hiding spot for it," he winked. "Go have fun. Thanks for the offer."

As Tohru reentered the room, Yuki was reading the instructions.

"Okay," Yuki said, looking up from the paper. "We start here," he placed his rat at the first town in the corner. "Our main objective is to follow the path and be the first to reach the other town across the river. Use the dice to roll for movement."

"That's it?" Haru asked.

"Yeah, basically," Yuki responded.

Kyo cracked his knuckles. "Sounds easy enough. You're going down, Rat-boy."

"Uhm, Yuki-kun?" Tohru interrupted the beginning stages of the verbal fight. "What's the glass oval for in the center?"

"I'm not sure, Honda-san," Yuki said, scanning the instructions again. "I guess it's just for decoration."

Momiji grabbed the dice off of the table. "Okay, okay, let's start already!" Handing them to Tohru, he said, "You can go first, Tohru!"

Tohru took the dice from the hyperactive Rabbit. "O-okay..." Clasping the dice in both hands, she shook them before breaking her hands apart, letting the dice hit the board until they rolled to a stop. Adding the two numbers together, Tohru moved her dog six spaces.

"I'll go next!" Momiji scooped the dice into his hands. Shaking them up, he let go, the dice rolling to a stop. "Seven!" Momiji cheered, reaching for his rabbit. But before he touched it, the little figurine slowly slid across the path, moving seven spaces on its own. Momiji instantly recoiled his hand, springing back in surprise, "Wh-what's happening?" Everyone gasped, their eyes widening, watching the rabbit complete its move. Once it reached it's seventh square, it sat still.

"No way..." Kyo breathed. "Did that thing just move on its own?"

Momiji and Tohru exchanged glances, Momiji asking, "How'd it do that?"

Haru stared at the little bunny, intrigued. "A game piece moving by itself... A mystery..."

"No," Yuki said, getting over the shock and racking his brain for a logical answer. Everyone saw it, so that meant he wasn't seeing things... "It's not a mystery, it has to be something. Maybe there's magnets?"

Kyo snorted. "And you call me stupid. That's no magnet! Tohru's dog didn't move on its own!" he pointed out.

Yuki glared at him, not in the mood to hear his idiot cousin's voice. "Then what is it if you're so smart?"

"I don't know!"

"Then shut up," Yuki growled, ending the argument. Kyo, however was still seething, his teeth clenched together.

Tohru nervously looked back and forth between the two. She didn't like it when they fought. Hesitantly, she started, "Uhm, Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun..."

"_What!_" Kyo turned on her. As soon as he saw her cringe, he desperately wanted to take it back. He lifted his hand to reach for her, but drew back in shame.

Tohru shrunk back, and Yuki used all of his will power to keep from smacking Kyo. "You stupid Cat! You can't even be nice to anyone!"

Kyo flushed, pissed off at Yuki and embarrassed that he yelled at Tohru. He opened his mouth to retort when Haru spoke, "Hey guys, the rabbit won't come off."

All eyes turned to Hatsuharu who was trying to pull the rabbit off of the game board. Then suddenly, the glass oval in the center of the board flashed with light, momentarily blinding all five players. Haru snatched his hand back in a futile attempt to cover his eyes. As the light dimmed, the circle filled with a gray fog and inside, words started to glow...

"Now what's happening?" Momiji clutched Tohru's hand. "Tohru, I don't wanna play anymore," he whined.

"Hush," Yuki commanded, reading the words within the oval. "Thirteen animals for only twelve seats. Race now, the Jade Emperor you shall greet." He looked at the others gathered around the table. "What do you suppose that means? Obviously this deals with the Zodiac..."

Instantly Kyo stood up, his mouth running dry. Swallowing, he licked his lips, trying to re-wet his mouth. With eyes glued to the game board, he softly muttered to himself, "This is stupid." He didn't want to play a game where he knew he'd lose. There's a river drawn on the board. Didn't one of the legends say the rat pushed the cat in? Red eyes drifted to Yuki, who was leaning over the game.

Not paying any attention to the Cat, Haru examined the board with Yuki. "Electronic?" he suggested.

Yuki flipped the board over, to see if any wires were on the bottom. Tohru's dog fell, landing on the floor. All the other animals stayed in place. There were no wires, no batteries, nothing.

"Momiji," Yuki started, looking to the Rabbit. Locking eyes with the boy, he asked, voice serious, "Where did you find this game?"

Momiji held Tohru's hand tighter. "The Main House."

"Where in the Main House?" Yuki pressed.

Momiji swallowed nervously. "It...it was in one of the houses," then in a whisper, "away from all the other houses..."

The room fell silent. No one looked at each other, save for Yuki still staring at Momiji. A house away from all others...

Kyo's hands gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles white, arms slightly shaking. That house... His head was bowed, his hair covering his eyes, which were having trouble focusing. Then suddenly he snapped his head up. "Look you," Kyo's voice cracked, breaking the uneasy silence. "You had no reason to be in any of the houses except your own." Stronger now, with each word, "That was someone else's house. You were trespassing. You stole this game!" he accused.

"I didn't steal it!" Momiji claimed, staring at Kyo, then to Tohru. "You believe me, don't you Tohru? I didn't steal the game! The house was empty! This game was the only thing in it! No one could have lived there!" Momiji defended.

Kyo started to pace the room nervously. "You shouldn't have been in there, you shouldn't have been around there!"

"I'm sorry!" Momiji wailed, feeling his heart beat faster. "I was bored! I had nothing to do!"

"That doesn't mean you can go wherever you please!" Kyo hissed.

Without thinking, Tohru suddenly rose from her seat and grabbed Kyo's arm. He turned to her in shock. "Kyo-kun, Kyo-kun, calm down. Momiji-kun didn't mean it... Please, Kyo-kun..."

Kyo yanked his arm away, irritated at the game, at the weather, and at his future. "Leave me alone," he growled, leaving the room and going upstairs.

Yuki sighed, rubbing his forehead. This wasn't good. It...it was just a game. "Maybe we should just play something else?" Collecting the extra pieces and Tohru's dog, he placed them back into the bag along with the dice. He placed the instructions and the bag into the box and looked at the game board. The oval was still flashing that message. He tried pulling the four animals off of the board, but they wouldn't come off. Giving up, he tried to fold the board back up, but it refused to fold. He could hardly bend it. Even with Haru's help, the board was stuck laying open with the rat, cat, ox, and rabbit on its surface. Why wouldn't it fold?

"No," Yuki whispered, "No!" He tried with all his strength to fold the board, but with arms shaking and muscles straining, he gave up, slumping back onto the floor. He felt sweat starting to bead his brow. Why was this game getting to him? That's all it was...a game... He had no reason to get upset over it... But games don't move on their own or refuse to be put away.

Yuki turned his head away from the game, trying to ignore its existence, but for some reason, he didn't want to actually quit playing... It, it was almost calling to him in a way, like, a whisper in his mind. Suddenly, he pulled the dice out of the bag again.

Tohru watched him with concerned eyes. "But I thought-"

"I'm going to roll," Yuki interrupted her. "This is a game. It can't hurt us. Let's just finish it without that stupid Cat."

No one wanted to point out that the cat figurine was still stuck to the board.

Ignoring everyone's stares, Yuki shook the dice in one hand before tossing them onto the table. Eleven. Even though he half expected the little rat to slide on its own, he wasn't the only one to jump. Then just like last time, the glass oval flashed, blinding everyone until the light dimmed and words started to appear through the fog...

"The rat's second to leave town. But the fields are dark, and in the distance thunder pounds."

Yuki leaned back on his hands and smiled despite the heavy air looming in the room. He felt better now, that he rolled and took part in the game, like a burden was lifted off his shoulders. "See? It's just a silly rhyme telling a story," he reassured everyone.

But suddenly, the rain outside fell faster and harder, and with a loud clap of thunder and a flash of lightning, the teens found themselves shrouded in darkness as the power failed.


	2. A Matter of Trust

**God's Menagerie**

**Chapter 2: A Matter of Trust**

* * *

Shigure pursed his lips in concentration, his fingers darting key to key as his world pooled into words before him. Each word, each sentence, they had to be perfect. Perfect...for this story, it wasn't just a story, but an invitation into his world, his creation, his...

With a crack of thunder, his computer shut down.

No! Shigure's eyes widened, his mouth parting in shock. No! No, no, no, no, _no_! When was the last time he saved...? He racked his brain, trying to come up with an answer. Shigure moaned in despair, slumping into his chair. He sat in the dark for quite a while, sulking at his loss. He had so many pages written...how could he have been so careless to not save them as he went along? His characters...his places...his...

Sighing, Shigure rose from his seat and fumbled through his desk drawers, finally retrieving a flashlight. Turning it on, he made his way to the door, managing to not trip on any of his junk in the process. He tried flipping the light switch by the door a few times, but to no avail. The power was out. Gone. Just like his story.

Opening the door, he ran his hand along the wall as he walked towards the main room. A little bit of light trickled in by the entrance way, but the house was basically dark. Good thing he was able to find his flashlight.

Lightning split the sky, followed by the booming thunder while the rain relentlessly beat against the roof. Immediately after the thunder, Shigure heard a scream, and he broke into a jog, practically throwing himself into the main room.

Tohru sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, her eyes squeezed shut. The boys crowded around her, trying to comfort her with words. She hated storms, oh how she hated them... They reminded her of those lonely nights without her mother when she was all alone. More lighting. More thunder. Another scream. She didn't like being weak in front of the others, but...

"Honda-san, it will be ok, we'll just find a flashlight and," Yuki paused, seeing Shigure standing in the doorway.

Shigure shined the light in their direction, the beam blinding their eyes as he scanned the group. Ignoring their complaints, he asked, "Tohru, are you okay?"

Slowly, Tohru uncurled from her ball and nodded her head. It was silly of her to be so scared when everyone was with her. She wasn't alone, she was with her family. A small smile started to grow on her lips. "Thank you, Shigure-san," she replied. Then turning to the others "Yuki-kun, Haru-kun, Momiji-kun."

Yuki returned her smile. "This storm should blow over soon. All will be okay."

The Dog walked across the room. Their little flower was trying, but she still cringed with each thunder clap. If he could only take her mind off of it... "Tooru-kun," Shigure singsonged, entering the kitchen. "I know we have candles somewhere, help me find them?"

Tohru perked up, eager to keep herself busy and not think of the storm. "Yes!" Standing, she followed Shigure's light. "There are some in a drawer next to the refrigerator..."

Once Tohru disappeared into the kitchen, Haru, usually calm and collected, started to fidget nervously, his hands reaching to one of his numerous necklaces and twisting the chain around his fingers. He didn't know what was wrong, but he suddenly had trouble keeping focus. He shivered as a prickle climbed his spine and his eyes darted across the room. With the little light, Haru saw Yuki by the window watching the storm, and Momiji was still planted at his side. He couldn't shake this feeling though, a feeling where someone was watching him... He licked his chapped lips, the moisture drying soon after. He leaned back onto his hands, inhaling slowly, trying to calm his nerves. What was wrong with him?

Momiji noticed his unease and watched Haru with concerned eyes. "Are you okay? It's alright if you're scared of the storm, too." The Rabbit offered him a tiny smile.

"I'm not scared," Haru said calmly, surprising himself. He felt a nervous wreck. "I just, I just feel like someone is watching me or something."

"Don't be silly," Yuki said, turning, but not leaving his spot by the window. "The only people in the room are us. Honda-san and Shigure are in the kitchen, and the stupid Cat is still upstairs."

"Yeah," Haru said, "but I still feel something..." His eyes scanned the room once more, and soon enough, he found himself staring straight at the game. The orb was still flashing the message from when Yuki rolled. Staring at the game made him feel...odd...like losing control when he went Black... But this, he wasn't going to turn Black, instead he felt a sudden urge to...

Tohru and Shigure emerged from the kitchen carrying lit candles, the bouncing light reflecting on their faces. The room glowed gently, brightened by the flames. Tohru knelt down, extending her hand to place a candle onto the table, but she was suddenly pushed roughly aside as Haru snatched the dice and threw them back onto the board.

"Ah!" Tohru squeaked, almost dropping her candle. Luckily, Momiji caught her, holding her long enough for her to regain balance before transforming for the second time that day.

"Honda-san!" Yuki exclaimed, leaving his post at the window. After checking to see if she was okay, his eyes narrowed at Haru, but his glare had no effect. The Ox was watching the game, transfixed. Then, Yuki heard a gasp behind him.

The dice stopped. The ox moved...on its own! Shigure almost dropped his flashlight and candle. If his hands weren't full, he would have rubbed at his eyes. Surely, it had to be the darkness playing tricks on him...games don't just move on their own like that!

Yuki silently watched Shigure's reaction. He forgot the Dog wasn't around when they were playing before the power went out.

The orb flashed, illuminating the dark room. Shigure stood stalk still in shock. What kind of game was this? It was like the magic straight from a novel! His mouth suddenly curved into a frown, his mind jumping back to his own book and the power outage, but he quickly pushed the thought aside as he watched in awe as words began to glow inside the oval of fog...

"What's a drop of rain or two? The ox is solid, through and through."

Shigure cautiously walked to the table, his eyes glued to the game. "Momiji-kun," he spoke, voice low. "What is this game?" Shining his light over the board, he saw the map drawn onto the board and the little animal figurines. The Zodiac race. All at once, he felt compelled to play. Tohru mentioned a dog, so he'll just reach into that bag and pull him out, place it on the board, and... As if in a trance, Shigure passed his candle and flashlight to Haru as he reached for the small velvet pouch...

Tohru opened her mouth to speak, but it wasn't her words that stopped him, it was the back door that blew open.

Wind and water rushed in and extinguished the flames, ripping through Tohru's hair, tangling the strands. She hugged Momiji closer, the rain, falling in large droplets, pelting her and splattering across her face. Already, Momiji's fur was soaked. Shigure brought his hands up in surprise, attempting to guard his face from the rain, while in a rush, Yuki and Hatsuharu tried to grab the door. The rain beat on relentlessly, and with another gust, debris from the storm blew in, a branch slamming into Yuki's shoulder. The blow made him step back and he squinted his eyes while raising his arms, trying to block the onslaught of rain. But as quick as the rain had come, it was gone - Haru, his clothes totally soaked through, managed to shut the door.

With the pandemonium gone, heavy breathing filled the silence as they sat in the dark, the rain muted, rapping against the door. The discarded flashlight laid near the wall, the beams illuminating the corner. The storm seemed to grow worse by the minute. With a quiet sigh of relief, Tohru relaxed her grip on Momiji, and instantly a cloud of smoke filled the room. Momiji's transformation seemed to knock everyone out of their state of shock.

"Ah!" Tohru cried, turning away from the Rabbit. Spying Yuki, worry-mode set in as she crawled over to where he sat on his knees near the door. "Is Yuki-kun okay?"

He smiled at her, despite the limited light. "I'm alright. Are you okay, Honda-san?"

She gave a quick nod. "Yes!" Then, "Just a little wet." There was some shuffling behind her, but she refused to turn around knowing Momiji was still dressing.

"Uhm, Yuki?" Momiji asked. "My clothes are all wet...do you have anything that could fit me?"

Haru picked the flashlight up from the corner. "Me too."

Yuki glanced at everyone, and fidgeted, his clothes uncomfortably sticking to his form. The door wasn't open that long, but the rain came so fast that the cloth was soaked through instantly. "I might have something small that could fit you," he said to Momiji. Turning to Haru, he continued, "But Kyo's clothes will probably fit you better."

After the candles were relit and distributed, they all climbed the stairs, seeking dry clothing. Tohru went to her room, Shigure, his room, and Momiji followed Yuki to his room, leaving Haru to stand outside of the Cat's door. Yuki said he could go in, and it wasn't like Haru cared if he woke Kyo up...

Opening the door, Haru peered into the darkness, trying to locate his cousin. He shined the flashlight into the room, finding Kyo atop the covers, sprawled across the bed on his back, sleeping soundly. Really, Haru thought as he carefully walked into the messy room, how could Kyo sleep through such a storm? Picking his way across the floor, Haru made it to the dresser in one piece and pulled open the top drawer - socks and boxers - nope. Haru started to push the drawer in again when he paused, smirking, a pair of orange, cat print boxers catching his eye. Cute. Trying again, he opened the second drawer and grabbed whatever shirt that was on top, and again with pants. Haru stood, wet but not dripping, in the center of the Cat's room. He had to change...the bathroom? Haru glanced at his cousin's unmoving form. Ah, why bother walking all that way? Kyo didn't seem like he'd wake up anytime soon. Pulling off his shirt, Haru tossed it aside carelessly, not bothering to look where he threw it.

Flump. What the...? Slowly, red eyes opened, blinking a few times. Something...wet... Kyo's eyes quickly adjusted to the dark, peering at whatever just landed next to his face. Lazily, he raised an arm, poking at the sopping mass. His brain too drained to function, Kyo rolled over onto his side, deciding to forget about it. He'd deal with it later, when he was more awake. With a yawn, Kyo's eyelids started to droop when suddenly he heard something unzip, quickly followed by the rustling of clothing.

Someone was in his room.

Completely awake, Kyo concentrated on listening to his intruder. Who could it be? Not Tohru...she wouldn't go in without permission, and definitely not that damn Rat. Instantly he thought of that pervert Dog, but dismissed him just as quickly. Shigure didn't wear anything with a zipper. Kyo shifted so he could spy in the direction of the sounds. Whoever it was had a light of some sort, a flashlight, probably. And they seemed distracted, too, not even paying attention to him laying on the bed. As silent as possible, Kyo crept off the bed and crouched onto the floor, watching the shadow from the corner of his bed. The figure was wobbling slightly on one leg, almost as if they were trying to put something on. But who would be dressing themselves in his room? Kyo guessed he'd just have to find out. Readying himself, he pounced.

Haru yelped as he was suddenly tackled to the floor, the flashlight rolling under the bed. He attempted to fight back, but his arms were pinned above his head. Great. At least he was able to put a pair of pants on, otherwise this would have been a completely awkward situation, not like it wasn't already awkward enough. "Kyo?" Haru called, figuring that he did, in fact, wake the Cat. He rolled his eyes. Of course the thunder and lightning wouldn't wake him, nooo, it was Haru shuffling around in the dark.

"...Haru?" Kyo responded, surprised. Why was the Cow in his room? He leaned his face in closer and saw that, yes, it was Haru. "What the hell are you doing in my room?" he demanded.

Haru titled his head to the side, finding the Cat to be too close for comfort. "Get off me."

"Tell me why you're in my room!"

Haru resisted a sigh. Man, Kyo was stubborn. "I needed to borrow clothes. Now get off me so I can finish changing."

Kyo's eyes wandered from Haru's and realized the Cow was missing his shirt. Muttering under his breath, Kyo released his hold and stood, not offering to help his cousin to his feet. As Haru finished donning his clothes, Kyo asked, "So why mine?"

"Mine were wet." Haru retrieved the flashlight from under Kyo's bed and shined it around the floor, looking for something.

Kyo rolled his eyes. What was up with that flashlight, anyway? Walking to the wall, Kyo ran his hand along until he found the light switch. He flicked it on. Nothing happened.

"The power's out."

"Obviously," Kyo spat. Damn Cow. Trying to make him look stupid. Kyo watched Haru scan the floor. "Now what are you doing?"

Haru sighed, not bothering to hold it back this time. Did Kyo have to know everything? "I threw my shirt somewhere."

Ah. Kyo glanced back to his bed. Now it made sense. "It's on my bed."

* * *

Yuki, Momiji, Tohru, and Shigure were seated at the table, dried and dressed. Candles were placed around the room, the flames dancing on the walls, creating a sea of orange rocking back and forth. The rain started to slow down outside, the thunder in the distance.

"So, explain to me," Shigure started. "What is this game, exactly?"

Momiji pushed the dice around with his fingers. "I found it at the Main House. I just thought it was a regular game, I didn't realize it dealt with the Zodiac and all.."

Yuki pulled the instructions out of the box, the paper limp from the rain. He placed them in front of the Dog, near the candle light. "Look, read for yourself. It does sound like a normal game. You start at one town and race to the next. It doesn't mention anything about the game pieces moving or the glass oval."

Shigure quickly read the text, once, twice, before looking back up. He shook his head, not wanting to believe what he saw earlier. Perhaps he was just jumping to conclusions. "So what is it? You make it sound like it isn't electronic or something."

Silence.

"Okay..." Shigure murmured to himself. Should they even be playing around with something like this? "This sounds too weird. I don't believe it," Shigure said, ignoring the fact that he already saw Haru's ox move.

"Shigure," Yuki said, "it's weird that we turn into animals. Obviously the laws of physics don't always apply." As he was dressing, Momiji and he discussed the game and Yuki thought he was starting to understand how it worked. "The game is connected with the curse."

"Yeah!" Momiji jumped in, catching on to where Yuki was headed. "The animals only stick to the board if it's your cursed form. It seems like they can sense when you roll...because when I rolled, the rabbit moved, and when Yuki rolled, only the rat moved," he explained. "And To-ru tried to play earlier with the dog!"

Shigure looked at Tohru, who nodded. "It wouldn't move like the other animals," she said. "And none of the animals will come off the board. Yuki-kun looked underneath the board to see if it was magnetic and my dog fell off, but none of the others did."

Shigure reached into the pouch and pulled out the dog figurine. "So what you're saying, is that these...animals are bound to us? If I place this on the board, it won't come off because it's my cursed form?"

"Go ahead and try," Yuki said. The Rat watched Shigure place the dog at the starting point. "Now pull it off." He was positive it would stick, and stick it did. No matter how hard Shigure pulled, the figurine stayed put. "Only you can roll for the dog. Don't believe any of this yet?" Yuki asked, studying Shigure's skeptical face closely. Time to toss in the proof. "Tohru, roll for Shigure or even for that stupid Cat."

Shigure watched Tohru pick up the dice and shake them. She broke apart her hands and the dice rolled across the table. Nothing happened. She even went as far as to grab the monkey and place it on the board. She was able to move the piece freely, and when she rolled, it didn't move on its own.

"Interesting," the Dog spoke slowly. So he wasn't seeing things earlier after all. The whole idea of this game acting on its own was freaky, but like Yuki said, turning into animals wasn't normal, either. He was surprised at how easily he accepted all of this. There was just one more thing... "Now explain that message."

Yuki exchanged glances with Momiji. They didn't get that far in discussing the game. The Rat had no idea how the messages worked or what they meant. So far, only three of them rolled, and it almost seemed to tell a story. "I, we can't. They kind of tell a story, as if narrating this so-called race, but I'm only assuming the messages were pre-made since the legend is so popular. I think they are there just for show."

Shigure collected the dice off of the table, shaking them in one hand. "Well, why not see what it says next?"

The dice connected with the board, jumping across the surface until rolling to a stop. Together, the two numbers equaled nine. When Shigure's dog started to move, he grabbed it, trying to make it stop, but it just kept going. He recoiled his hands when the oval fogged over again. Flashing brightly, a new message was revealed. Everyone leaned in closer to see what it said.

"Ah, it is such a bother, to wake up from the splash of water! But stretch your legs, dear kitten, and get moving. Do not dotter!"

"See?" Yuki said. "Just a story. Kyo's cat is still in the town."

Shigure stifled a laugh. Kyo? A kitten? Both words just didn't seem to go together. As he thought of it, Kisa was more of the kitten. It would seem they should swap their feline curses. Calming down, he came back to the problem at hand. Turning to Yuki, he asked, "But how did the game know Kyo was slee-"

Shigure was interrupted by shouts coming from the stairs. There were two voices - the one, calm and collected, belonged to Haru, the other... "Ah, here comes our kitten, now!" Shigure said with a grin.

The flashlight beam made it safely to the bottom step before turning in the direction of the main room. As the pair got closer, their features slowly were captured by the candlelight. Haru shuffled along holding the flashlight in one hand and kept his other hand stuffed in his pocket. He didn't look at Kyo as he exchanged words with the Cat. Kyo visibly reacted to whatever Haru said, his face turning red with anger. Finally sparing a glance in Kyo's direction, Haru sighed, "I said I was sorry."

Wrong thing to say. Kyo stopped in the doorway, and if looks did kill, Haru would have been dead twice before he hit the ground. "I don't care! You shouldn't have come in, anyway!"

Yuki moaned, rubbing his temples. Just when things had finally quieted down.. "He just had to wake that idiot up."

"Hey! I heard that, Rat-boy!"

A soft smile crept onto Tohru's lips as Kyo entered. She watched him push past Haru, making his way to the table, flopping down next to her. He propped one elbow onto the table, holding his head in his hand, muttering under his breath while he stared at the ground. Slowly, he looked up, making eye contact with Tohru, a small smile spreading across his face.

"Did Kyo-kun sleep okay?" she asked. "The storm didn't wake you, did it?"

Suddenly aware that the others were present and watching, Kyo broke the contact, averting his eyes and casually answered, "Yeah, and no, it wasn't the storm." At that, Kyo looked across the table where Haru sat next to Yuki, his eyes narrowing. "It was that goddamn Cow, smacking me with his stupid shirt."

Haru returned the glare. "I said I was sorry."

"Sorry doesn't mean anything now that I'm awake."

"Then what do you want me to do? Sing you a la-la-by?" Haru crossed his arms, challenging the Cat.

"Shut up!" Kyo grabbed the dice and chucked them at Haru, beaming him in the face. "Quit acting like you're so damn great!"

Haru rubbed his cheek where the dice hit. That stung... If a fight was what Kyo wanted, then it was a fight he'd get. Haru's vision started to fade into blackness around the edges as he felt his Black side itching to take over.

Yuki sighed. It had been a long day, and the beginnings of a headache were setting in. The yelling didn't help. "Would both of you quit it?"

Suddenly, the room lit up with a familiar flash, the light dying away as quick as it came. With the argument, they had failed to notice the little cat slide along the board. A new message formed through the gray fog...

"Is it the dog, sheep, rooster, or rat? Or maybe the monkey, dragon, cow, or cat? One of you cannot be trusted, and one of you will fall into their trap."

Kyo stared at the oval, forgetting he placed his cat piece on the board earlier. What the hell was that supposed to mean? This game was so stupid. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tohru fidget, twisting her hands in her lap. Of course she would take the game seriously... Reaching over, Kyo placed his hand on top of hers. She started, and looked down at their hands. She seemed to be calming down, so he offered her a small smile, reassuring her, then all at once, it hit him.

Tohru took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Why did she feel so afraid? It was just a game after all. She looked at Kyo's hand still on top of hers, her eyes trailing up his arm and to his face. He smiled at her, and she felt a lot safer. But that safeness instantly cracked when she saw Kyo's face suddenly twist into shock then anger. His wasn't looking at her anymore, but at...

Yuki stood, grabbing the flashlight off of the table, mind set on finding their supply of Tylonel. He stopped however, when he felt someone watching him. Turning, he made eye contact and said, "Why are you looking at me, you stupid Cat?" For some reason, he found it unnerving, almost as if he were being stared at the way a predator would watch its prey. He didn't like it.

"Because," Kyo said rather calm, his pupils narrowed into cat-like slits, "It was the rat that tricked the cat."

Confusion crossed Yuki's face until he realized Kyo was talking about that game. He tilted his chin up slightly in a superior manner, in an attempt to recollect himself. This was Kyo, after all. "The messages are pre-made, of course one would say that. You'll lose, anyway."

Kyo glared at him, "Shut up, it's a stupid game. I can still beat you. It's all just the luck of the roll!"

Haru smirked at the Cat. "What's the matter Kyo, you sound like you're trying to reassure yourself. Afraid you'll fall for the same trick twice?"

Kyo finally lost his composure, his face heating up. "No way!"

"Now, now," Shigure butted in. "Calm down..this is just a gaaaame," he chimed. His attempt to quell the growing argument failed. He sighed, seeing that only Tohru held some amount of interest in what he had to say. Everyone else ignored him. "Perhaps we should move onto cards?"

Haru stood from his seat and slung an arm around Yuki's shoulders. "I trust Yuki," he continued. "Not you, Kyo. You rolled it. The game is telling you that you can't be trusted."

Kyo's hand left Tohru's and slammed onto the table. "Just because I rolled it doesn't mean anything! It could be about anybody!"

"Guys," Momiji tried. He looked back and forth between Yuki, Haru, and Kyo. They were completely yelling at each other now. "Guys! Listen to me!" No effect. He glanced at Tohru and Shigure for help, but they were both trying to calm the others down. This was horrible. Momiji looked around, trying to think of something that would grab their attention. Coming up with nothing else, Momiji stood, and with a swipe of his hand, he knocked the game onto the floor, the board clattering loudly against the wooden surface. "_Listen_ to me!"

Everyone stopped and stared at the Rabbit.


	3. A Quest for Clues

**God's Menagerie**

**Chapter 3: A Quest For Clues**

* * *

She couldn't help it; Tohru was nervous. She walked along the path with Yuki, not really paying attention to where she was going, her thoughts fogging her vision.

It wasn't the Main House that scared her, no, she's been there multiple times before, even sneaking in once by herself. It was just...

Seeing the Cat House with her own eyes would mean that Akito hadn't lied to her at the summer home. It'd be true - Kyo would get locked up after graduation and she'd never see him again. Her shoulders slumped at the thought as a depressed sigh escaped her lips. But could she really let that happen? The frown that wormed it's way onto Tohru's face changed to a hard-pressed, thin line as her eyes narrowed in determination. Unconsciously balling her hands into fists, she nodded fiercely to herself. She still had a year! She would break the curse one way or another!

Yuki came to a sudden stop in front of her. Realizing it at the last second, Tohru broke from her thoughts with a yelp. Flailing, it took all of her power to not crash into him. He glanced behind his shoulder when he heard Tohru shriek, then gasped, quickly grabbing one of her pinwheeling arms to keep her from falling backwards. Cracking her eyes open, Tohru blinked before letting out a nervous laugh, "Thanks, Yuki-kun." Yuki watched her tug slightly on her summer dress, readjusting it, a small smile creeping onto his lips. Shaking his head slightly, he turned forward, amused at Tohru's antics.

Even though he didn't show it, Yuki didn't like where they were going, either. Not just the fact that Akito would be at the Main House, but the Rat honestly did not wish to see the Cat's future cage. It wasn't a subject commonly talked about between the Cursed, even more so when Kyo was around, which surprised everyone when Momiji brought it up.

* * *

_"Guys," Momiji tried. He looked back and forth between Yuki, Haru, and Kyo. They were completely yelling at each other now. "Guys! Listen to me!" No effect. He glanced at Tohru and Shigure for help, but they were both trying to calm the others down. This was horrible. Momiji looked around, trying to think of something that would grab their attention. Coming up with nothing else, Momiji stood, and with a swipe of his hand, he knocked the game onto the floor, the board clattering loudly against the wooden surface. "_Listen_ to me!"_

_Everyone stopped and stared at the Rabbit._

_Momiji stood, red in the face and breathing heavily. Everyone was acting so _childish_. The Rabbit scanned the group, while rethinking what he was going to say next. He had to form his words correctly, or else the room would just erupt all over again. "Forget the message. This is a _game_." Momiji paused, allowing them time to let that simple fact sink into their brains. "So the game may not be able to be put away, okay, but we can stop playing it. And before you all start asking about where I found it again, why don't you just come and look for yourselves?"_

_The room was silent. Did Momiji just tell them to go to..? Kyo shifted from one foot to the other, crossing his arms. Then all at once, he swore, spun on his heel, and left the room._

* * *

So here Yuki and Tohru were, on their way to the Honke to snoop around in the Cat House. They were to meet Haru and Momiji by the secret entrance in the wall. When Yuki and Tohru left Shigure's, they didn't bother telling Kyo, since last night the Cat was less than pleased at Momiji's idea and immediately left the room to seek refuge on the roof, where Tohru found him in the evening before retiring to bed.

Looking both ways, Yuki started to cross the street and Tohru trailed along beside him, trying to concentrate more on where she was going and not getting lost in her thoughts. They were almost at the Main House; it was just a couple blocks away, and as they neared, Tohru couldn't help but think of Kyo again and graduation. Completely wrapped in her thoughts once more, Tohru could imagine him yelling at her, telling her not to worry about him, that he'd be okay. But then it struck her, did Kyo even know that she knew about the Cat House? No one ever said the house's actual name yet, or what would happen after graduation. He wasn't there when Akito yelled at her, or when she talked to Kazuma about the curse. No one else knew that _she knew_.

"Oi! What are you, deaf? I said, WAIT UP!"

Tohru snapped her eyes open, stopping mid-step next to Yuki. Twirling around, her eyes lit up, instantly recognizing the orange head of hair running after them. "K-Kyo-kun!"

Yuki watched the Cat approach, face indifferent. "I thought you didn't want to come?"

Kyo finally reached them and bent over, his fingers digging into his knees as he gasped for air. It wasn't exactly a short trip from Shigure's to the Honke. "You never asked," Kyo replied, his eyes rolling up to look at the Rat, his chest heaving up and down, welcoming the supply of oxygen.

Yuki glanced away, and waited for the Cat to get his breathing under control. They were almost at the Main House, and Yuki could feel it, the nervousness biting at his insides, the worry and the "What if's" infiltrating his brain. What if Haru and Momiji weren't there? What if a lot of people were out today? What if they all got caught? What if they saw Akito? What if... Yuki forced himself to think of something else. The game. Yes. That's why they were here in the first place. To try to find out more about the game. But just thinking about that board game sent shivers up Yuki's spine.

With his heart rate back to normal, Kyo straightened himself out and asked, "So where's this hole we're supposed to meet at?"

Digging himself out of his thoughts, Yuki found his voice and said, "Just follow. I know where it is."

The rest of the walk was silent, save for cars driving by and the giggles of little kids playing outside. The sky was a contrast from yesterday, having no clouds in sight to help protect the teens from the sun. Tohru raised an arm and wiped it across her forehead, rubbing away the forming sweat. She kept in step with the boys at her side, and as they walked closer to the Main House, she couldn't help but think that despite the sunny day, a giant shadow was looming over them.

She stopped alongside Kyo when they reached the Sohma wall, cutting the Inside houses off from the rest of the world like a cage. Yuki approached a bush, pushing some leaves aside, and...he was talking with it? No, that couldn't be it. Suddenly, a tuft of blonde hair poked out from behind the bush and waved. Tohru's mouth curled into a smile. Momiji!

The Rabbit exchanged a few more words with Yuki before ducking back Inside. Yuki crawled in first, followed by Tohru, but Kyo remained standing before the hole, his feelings suddenly swaying. When he left this morning he knew they were going to go into the Cat's cage, but now he felt his heart pounding faster and for some reason he just couldn't breath in enough air. His face twisted into a mix of anger and panic. Why was he feeling this now?

"Kyo?" Momiji poked his head through the hole again. "Are you coming?" Sensing Kyo's unease, the Rabbit whispered, "It's okay if you don't want to..."

Suddenly snapping out of it, Kyo glared at Momiji. "What, you think I'm scared?" Receiving no response, Kyo scowled. "Well I'm not and I'm coming."

The five teens stood in the shadow of the wall, surveying the grounds for people. Tohru looked around nervously, remembering everything from when she was here last, sneaking in with Momo*****. She looked at the rows of houses. Momiji-kun's was close by. But... "Where exactly are we going?"

Momiji smiled at her, not even glancing in Kyo's direction. "Where I found the game. It's across the grounds. We're gonna have to be very careful since you and Kyo aren't supposed to be here."

Kyo crossed his arms and turned his head away. "Yeah, yeah, let's just get this over with..."

And so they set out, Momiji taking the lead, followed by Haru, Yuki, Tohru, and finally Kyo bringing up the rear. Momiji wove them behind houses and through the shrubbery, pausing now and again when someone walked by. Only once the passerby was out of sight, did Momiji continue. The grounds were full of activity - kids playing outdoors, men and women talking on their decks, and some even tending to their gardens. Yuki suddenly cursed himself under his breath - he forgot all about his secret base. It was probably flooded.

Tohru was soon lost, not having any clue to as to where they were. Afraid to get separated, she unconsciously moved closer to Yuki. The Sohma grounds were so big! She walked on, observing the houses, the decks, the neatly kept lawns. Too bad she wasn't welcome here, it was a beautiful place, just like the Sohmas themselves. But as she continued to look at the houses, Tohru once again failed to notice Yuki stop in front of her.

As the familiar explosion sounded, Tohru snapped her head back around in surprise and gasped, "I'm so sorry!" Yuki landed safely on his clothes and looked up at Tohru, but before he could reassure her that all was well, she backed up in embarrassment only to bump into Kyo.

Haru and Momiji glanced back at the sounds, finding Tohru on the brink of hysteria. "I-I'm so sorry!" she sputtered, looking at Yuki, then Kyo, and then to Haru and Momiji. She took a step forward, then back, unsure of what to do. Not wanting to mess things up further, she plopped herself down in the grass. If she sat down, there would be a less chance of her transforming anyone.

Momiji giggled and pranced over to Tohru, crouching down. "It's okay, Tohru! Accidents happen." Then, he continued with a wink, "And besides, it wasn't your fault Kyo transformed. He should have been paying better attention."

Kyo stopping nosing his clothes, his head snapping up as he stamped his paw. "I don't need a lecture, you damn Rabbit!"

Yuki crossed his little paws and was about to add his own comment when he suddenly froze. He cocked his head to the side, ears twitching. He could have sworn he heard... His eyes widened when he heard it again, and closer. Footsteps! He broke into a run, bounding past the others and into the safety of a bush. Sighing in relief, he peeked out from between the leaves. It wasn't much longer when Kyo's ears perked, and soon the feline followed him into the hiding spot. "Couldn't you have hidden somewhere else?" Yuki muttered.

Kyo glared, then hissed. Damn Rat. Relaxing his stance, Kyo sat and looked away, not bothering to spy at what was going on. Haru and Momiji lived here, it's not like they were going to get into trouble. And Tohru... Kyo paused mid-thought. Shit. He forgot about Tohru! Kyo turned his head, meeting Yuki's panicked expression. At least he wasn't the only one.

"Stupid Cat, why didn't you tell Honda-san to hide!"

"Me!? You heard the footsteps first, why didn't you say anything!?"

Haru blinked, his mind still processing the fact that one moment, Yuki and Kyo were standing there, and the next they were gone. Momiji stood from his spot next to Tohru and looked at the Ox, then to the bush his cousins ran into. Then as they saw a figure rounding the corner of the house, realization dawned on them.

The person stopped mid-step, seeing two of the Cursed, a pile of clothes, and a girl who definitely did _not_ live in the Sohma Estate.

"...Tohru?" Kagura stepped back, whispering in shock at seeing the girl.

Haru calmly rested his hands in his pockets, a smile playing on his lips. "Hello, Kagura."

Momiji gave her an excited wave before he squatted down, scooping his cousins' clothes off the ground. As he stood, he let out a laugh. "Guess it's good it's only you, right? Or else we would have been in trouble!"

Tohru sat, speechless, her mouth opening and then closing. Momiji was right, at least it was only Kagura, but still, what should she say? She opened her mouth once again to speak, but was interrupted by a resounding _poof_ in the bush behind her. Instantly, she snapped her eyes shut.

Yuki and Kyo crawled their way out of the shrubbery, the action highlighted with bits of swearing as the branches scratched into their skin. Kagura's eyes widened at the sight, her hands suddenly covering her mouth in shock at seeing Kyo. He stood, cursing and dusting himself off.

"Of _course_ someone would find us," he grumbled. Then snapping at Kagura, "Hey stop staring and have some decency! Wait until we have some freaking clothes on!"

"Ahh, but Ky-ooo, it's only Kagura, she won't tell on us!" Momiji chimed, putting one-hundred percent faith in his female cousin.

"Shut up!" Kyo growled, tugging his clothes back from Momiji. "It'd be best if no one saw us at all!" He violently shook his head, leaves falling out. He then tried to tame his hair, running his hands though it a few times, though some spots were still sticking up.

Yuki watched Kyo try to fix his hair and then followed suit, except he picked out the twigs instead of shaking his head like an idiot. Once they were dressed, the Rat called, "Honda-san, you can open your eyes now."

The initial shock started to fade as Kagura slowly brought her hands away from her mouth and worked her jaw to move, searching for her voice. When she found it, it was worried, scared, but caring. "Kyo, you idiot, why are you here? If Akito found out," she paused, her eyes falling on the brunette, "and to bring Tohru with you?" She bit back the urge to pummel him to a pulp. "You're so stupid!"

The Cat rolled his eyes before glaring at her. "Stop shouting, you're gonna get us caught."

Kagura clamped her mouth shut, eyes narrowing. Unconsciously her hand curled into a fist, and as she was about to step forward to knock some sense into him, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder and a calming voice near her ears. "Kagura, Kyo's right. You need to speak quieter."

Kagura's eyes shifted to Yuki. As the Rat pulled back his hand, Kagura caught it in her own. "Yun-chan, what's going on? Why are you all here?"

Yuki hesitated, and looked at the others for help. Receiving only blank stares, he sighed. Meeting the Boar's eyes again, he gave her a small smile. "We're...looking for something. We don't intend to stick around for very long, so you don't have to worry."

Kagura's eyes brightened as she broke into a grin. "Maybe I could help you look? What did you lose?"

Yuki bit his lip, unsure how to respond. "We didn't really...lose anything, we-"

"Let me help, please, Yun-chan?" Kagura begged, holding his hand tighter.

Aggravated, Kyo scowled. "Stop it. We don't need your help, so just leave us alone already!" Running a hand through his hair, he let out a frustrated sigh. His gaze shifted from the protesting Boar to the girl still seated on the ground. He rolled his eyes; Tohru was probably blaming herself. Quickly looking back to his cousins, he gratefully noticed Kagura's attention was still on Yuki. Kneeling down, he said, "Hey."

Tohru looked up, frowning. "Yes, Kyo-kun?"

Aware of the others possibly watching, he tried not to sound too caring. "Hey," he repeated. "Back there, that wasn't your fault, so I don't want to hear you try to say sorry. Got that?"

Tohru opened her mouth to argue that it was her fault, that it was her who bumped into them, but after one look at Kyo's glare, she shut her mouth and smiled. "Got it."

"Good," Kyo rose, offering Tohru a hand, and pulled her to her feet just as Kagura huffed and crossed her arms in defiance.

"Don't act like that, Yuki! I'm a part of this family, too..." The Boar looked at her feet, sad her cousins wanted to keep secrets from her. Finally giving up, she mumbled, "Fine, whatever. Forget you saw me." She offered Tohru a smile, then looked back to the Rat. "Just take care of her, okay?"

Yuki nodded, "Always." Seeing her satisfied with his answer, he looked back at the others.

Noticing Yuki's stare, Kyo dropped Tohru's hand and stuffed his own in his pockets. Feeling his face heat up, he called to the Ox and Rabbit. "Hey, we moving or what? I don't wanna be here any longer than I have to, so let's get this over with."

Momiji giggled and did a mock salute at Kyo. "Yes, sir!" Momiji skipped ahead, making sure the coast was clear. Waving them over, they continued. The Cat House wasn't too far off.

Kagura stood, watching them until they disappeared around the corner. Then, face set in determination, she quietly followed behind. Everyone says curiosity killed the cat, and as far as she was concerned, she had spent enough time around Kyo as children to have some of that curiosity rub off on her.

* * *

Without hesitation, Momiji bounded up the stairs onto the Cat House's deck and slid open the door. The others, however, weren't so eager to step inside. The house emitted the feelings of helplessness, agony, and depression.

Yuki slowly climbed the stairs, eyes locked on the dark doorway ahead of him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kyo still standing at the base of the stairs. The stupid Cat was so full of energy, it didn't seem right placing him inside a little room for the rest of his life. He wasn't really a house cat, but more of a stray, and that freedom would get ripped from him. As much as the Rat didn't want to admit it, Tohru helped him see that Kyo wasn't _that_ bad. But still stupid, Yuki reminded himself. Very stupid. He stopped in front of the doorway, not really wanting to go inside.

Kyo hesitated at the bottom of the stairs. Taking in a deep breath, he tried to control his growing fear. He caught Yuki looking in his direction and growled softly in his throat. He didn't need any pity, and he didn't need Tohru realizing what this place was. Kyo pulled together his pride and suddenly walked up the stairs, passing Yuki roughly and following Momiji inside.

Even with the sunlight pouring into the doorway, it was dark - a lonely darkness, and Tohru found herself grabbing someone's hand just so she knew she wasn't alone. The game wasn't her concern anymore, and actually, she realized it never was. This was Kyo's future, and she had to break it. Hatsuharu glanced down at their joined hands, then smiled reassuringly at her, but she didn't smile back.

Momiji walked further into the house. All was bare except for a lone cot shoved into the corner, and a toilet in another. His legs moved him towards the cot before standing still. "This is it," he said, breaking the eerie silence. Momiji faced the group behind him, his voice soft. "This is where I found it."

Yuki tentatively brushed a hand against the fabric on the make-shift bed, only to immediately pull his hand back to his side, his fingers sore from the rough and itchy material. His face heated slightly, hoping the action went unnoticed. Clearing his throat, he asked, "It was just sitting here?"

Momiji nodded. "Yep. Right on the bed."

Yuki grimaced, thinking he'd find the floor more comfortable. Crouching down, he peeked under the cot, looking for a note or something, but his hopes were dashed as only the dusty floorboards stared back at him. Sighing, he brought a hand to his temple, the other keeping his balance on the floor. Did Akito know about this? Did he place it here? So many more questions crashed into his mind, each supplied without an answer. Yuki closed his eyes. Why didn't this make any sense?

Kyo shifted nervously, glancing around. Couldn't that damn Rat hurry it up? There were no frickin' clues so they could just leave already. He opened his mouth, but was stopped before he could utter his first complaint.

"This is..this is..where Kyo-kun will be staying after graduation, isn't it?"

Yuki winced. Momiji stared at his feet while Haru looked away.

Tohru regarded the Sohmas with somber eyes, already knowing the answer, but praying that Akito lied to her and that Kazuma misunderstood. Tohru removed her hand from Haru's and stepped towards Kyo. "Kyo-kun?"

Kyo's lips parted in disbelief. "I..." Words failed him, but what was he supposed to say? He felt that familiar urge to run. Fear crept inside him as his heart sped up, and he just wanted out. He wanted away. "I..." Kyo's eyes darted wildly around the room; everyone was staring at him now, waiting to hear what he had to say even though they all knew the truth. Finally his eyes landed on Tohru and felt his heart break. First one drop, then two. Tears leaked from her eyes and she didn't bother to wipe them away. With a defeated sigh, Kyo nodded his head, not trusting his voice. He stared at Tohru, watching the tears fall from her face. Mustering up his courage, he gently wiped them from her eyes and gave her a small smile. She wasn't supposed to know, she wasn't...supposed to care.

Tohru shrunk away at his touch. Then all at once, she lunged at him, her arms latching onto him tightly before the transformation kicked in.

"Y-Yun-chan?"

Yuki snapped his attention away from Tohru and Kyo, seeing Kagura clutching the doorframe of the Cat House.

"What's going on? Why did you come _here_?" She shook at the doorway with fear, her knuckles white against the frame. Kagura's shaking gradually changed from fear to anger as she noticed Tohru crying, clutching Kyo's cat form to her chest, and her three cousins just standing there. Her eyes narrowed, glaring at the Rat. "You shouldn't be here! This better not be some kind of joke because some of us don't find this funny," she hissed.

Yuki licked his dry lips, preparing to speak. What would he tell her? This certainly didn't go according to plan. When Momiji told him to come to the Cat House, Yuki didn't expect Kyo to tag along, for Tohru to know about the Cat's imprisonment, and for Kagura to find and follow them. After a few seconds of hesitation, he looked Kagura in the eye and finally spoke. "It's...a complicated matter. Whatever I would tell you, I doubt you would believe me, so it would probably be better to just show you." He really didn't want to. He was starting to have a bad feeling about the game. He tried to brush it off earlier, but...it wasn't just a game anymore.

Kagura wasn't looking at Yuki, but at Kyo and Tohru. The brunette had finally quit crying, but her face was red and her eyes were puffy. She was still holding onto Kyo, who put up no resistance. Shifting her focus back to the Rat, Kagura glared at him. "Show me what? It better be damn good."

Yuki shrunk back slightly at her biting words, but then waved for her to follow him, irritation leaking into his voice. "It's back at Shigure's. And yeah, it's "_damn good_"."

Kagura spun after him, spouting questions as she bounded down the stairs. Haru slowly followed, his hands stuffed in his pockets with Momiji trailing silently behind him.

Tohru took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. She didn't want to be here anymore, nor did she ever want to return. Letting go of Kyo, she placed him gently on the floor and turned around, but didn't walk out. She waited for the familiar poof and after another minute, she turned back around to find him fully dressed. Boldly, she took Kyo's hand in her own and led him to the door. But before she could step out, he stopped her. She glanced over her shoulder, trying to see what the problem was.

Kyo felt numb, but as he grabbed at the door to slide it shut, he noticed a piece of paper tacked to the inside of the door. He wanted to let it go, probably should have let it go, but he ripped it off and glanced at it anyway. To his surprise, the note was addressed to him. He felt Tohru staring, and he quickly stuffed the note in his pocket. He'd read it later, when he could escape to the roof and just forget about all that happened. Maybe he could even crash at Shishou's. Meeting Tohru's gaze, Kyo nodded for her to continue as he shut the door.

* * *

**A/N: ** Oops! Tohru actually doesn't visit Kazuma or meet Momo until after school started, and it's still summer in this story. My bad :)


	4. Dangerous Tides

**God's Menagerie**

**Chapter 4: Dangerous Tides**

* * *

When they arrived back at Shigure's, the Dog was in his study, furiously typing away, trying to remember those lost pages from the night before. And this time, he made sure to save as he went. Lost in his world, Shigure failed to hear the front door open as his cousins entered, walking past his study and into the main room. Everyone gathered around the table, and much to Kyo's disappointment, Tohru finally broke her hand free, turning to the kitchen. By keeping busy and gathering snacks for everyone, she could try to rid her mind of the Cat House. Kyo hesitated, his eyes on Tohru's back as she walked away before finally deciding to follow her.

"Okay," Yuki started, bending over to pick up the game, which was still turned upside down on the floor. Setting the board onto the table, he continued, "This is going to sound completely crazy, but you have to bare with me, Kagura. Don't get mad, it will just make things more complicated."

Kagura stood, arms crossed, waiting for his explanation. She'd keep her cool. Well, she'd _try_ to. Since he was going to tell her, she owed him that much. She watched silently as he knelt down, picking up stray pieces off the floor. Momiji and Haru walked past her, seating themselves, but she stayed standing. As Yuki carefully put the small figurines on the table, she realized that they were the zodiac animals. Yuki lined them into a neat little row, so she could get a clear view of them all. There were four missing, however. She didn't see the dog, rat, rabbit, or ox. Her eyes searched the table, then found them on the game board Yuki had picked up. And then she noticed the cat.

Momiji patted the seat next to him with a smile. "Here, come sit by me."

Kagura sat herself down, confused as to why she was sitting in front of some board game. Picking up the tiny boar statue, she rolled the figurine between her fingers, feeling the carved texture of the fur and the smoother hooves. "What does this have anything to do with the Main House?" Pinching the boar between her thumb and index finger, she held it up to her eyes. It was kind of cute, actually, with it's little ears and tail. As she was setting it back down on the table, it slipped from her fingers, clattering against the wood. Bouncing, the boar rolled onto the game's surface before finally settling to a stop, innocently sitting right side up.

Kagura heard Yuki let out a soft groan, before muttering, "Well I guess it wasn't avoidable."

"What?" Kagura asked mildly, bringing her hands to rest on her hips. "I didn't break anything." Pointing, she defended herself, "The table's not even nicked!"

"Look Yuki, it conveniently stopped at the start." Haru smirked, propping his head up with his hand.

Yuki frowned at his cousin's amusement. "Don't push me," Yuki warned. More and more this game unnerved him, to the point where his headache was returning. Rubbing at his forehead, he explained how her boar was most likely stuck to the board. Then pointing to the path, he explained how when rolled, the animals move on their own without the assistance of magnets or electronics, and that a message appears in the glass oval afterwards.

Kagura had settled back into her seat during the explanation and gingerly reached for her boar, trying to pick it up. And when she couldn't, she looked to Yuki. "Great, so I'm supposedly stuck in this stupid game now? I didn't even put that boar on the game, it fell! How is that fair?" She crossed her arms, upset. "I don't want to play. And I don't care about any of this! You aren't telling me why this is connected to the Main House or why you were in the..." she trailed off, Tohru and Kyo walking in from the kitchen.

The Cat carried a plate of assorted snacks, and Tohru took it from him and placed it on the table next to the game. She seated herself next to Haru as Kyo sat by her at the head of the table. Kyo's eyes narrowed, spying the boar at the starting area on the game, but remained silent.

"Well", Yuki started, "This game, it... There is something very not right about it. It is connected to us, bound to us, and we were just trying to figure out if there were any clues left behind." He gestured with his hands, "Why is it here? Who made it?"

Kagura frowned, not liking Yuki's answer Scanning her cousins, she idly tugged at the boar, "So how do I get this off? I don't want to play," she repeated.

"You can't," Haru said with a shrug. "The animals don't come off unless the game is completed, I guess."

"Well that's dumb..." she complained. Squinting, Kagura studied her little boar again. While she knew it was only a figurine, she swore the two little black depths were staring right back. It didn't look so cute anymore.

Yuki sighed, nodding. "I think the best way to get out of this situation is to just have us finish this. If no one else comes near this game and puts their animal on, everything should be okay."

Hinges creaked as a door opened, and Shigure stepped into the hallway. His eyes widened, surprised to see everyone back so soon, and with Kagura, too! The crowd just kept getting larger and larger... As he walked into the main room, his eyes slowly dropped to the game. All he had wanted was a drink of water, but... water could wait. He felt that familiar urge to play nagging at him. Saying his hello to Kagura, he wedged himself between Momiji and Yuki. "Ah, another round? I'm in!" he chimed.

Kagura looked at him in surprise. "You know about this, too?" Then she remembered as he nodded that the dog was already in play.

"So," Momiji asked, his eyes slowly sweeping across the group, "Who's going to roll?"

"I guess I will," Kagura said, reaching for the dice. "I kind of want to see this happen for myself."

"Wait," Shigure stopped her just before she picked up the dice. Turning to Yuki, he asked, "Should we tell Kagura what the game said already?" Untucking the pencil that was planted behind his ear, he twirled it between his fingers, "Or perhaps write the messages down?"

"Writing them down couldn't hurt," Yuki agreed.

Tohru immediately jumped to her feet, happy to be of use. She spoke fast, her voice shrill, "I'll go get some paper!"

Kyo bowed his head, knowing she was just all too eager to escape the room. Ever since her outburst, she was trying so hard to act normal, but she was upset. His hand rested in his lap, fingers clenched into a fist. She shouldn't have seen that house. Hearing the padding of her footsteps, he glanced up in time to see Tohru reenter the room with the tablet of paper she used for her shopping lists. Relaxing his fist, he took in a deep breath before slowly exhaling, resting his hand on the tabletop.

Sitting herself back down, Tohru handed the paper to Shigure. Now with nothing to do, she fidgeted slightly with the hem of her dress. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she spied Kyo zoned out, staring off into space. Her attention was brought back when Momiji bounced excitedly in his seat.

"I went first!" Momiji exclaimed, raising his hand, then paused in thought. "Well, actually Tohru went first, but it didn't really count so..."

"Momiji was first," Yuki interrupted, ignoring the Rabbit's hurt expression. "It was a rhyme. It said..."

Kyo snorted, one hand propping up his chin, the other drumming his fingers on the tabletop. This game was so stupid. And yet, he couldn't force himself to move, to go to his room or the roof. His eyes landed on the dice, and he felt fixated on them. The conversation around him became a low drone, the words all buzzing together. Then, in a whisper, he heard his name.

_Kyo..._

The voice sounded hollow, and it echoed in his mind. Eyes locked on the dice, all else faded away around him, and the whisper called him, steadily increasing in volume. His fingers drummed more rapidly, sweat starting to trickle down his forehead and stinging his eyes. Then, the voice overtook all of his senses; there was no going back.

The small sanity left in the back of his mind screamed for him to stop, to pull back, but his hand had already found the dice. He didn't see Kagura flinch at his abrupt movements, he didn't hear Yuki's condescending remarks, and he didn't feel the low, almost feral rumble in his throat as he let the dice drop onto the table.

"Hey!" Haru shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the Cat. "You just rolled last time! You little cheater! Take your turn!"

Snapping back into reality, Kyo's breath hitched, before calming down and waving off the Cow. "Like this game cares about turns," he grumbled, looking away. "It's a race."

Kagura sat wide eyed as the little cat scooted on its own past the leading rat into a forested area. Looking around, she saw everyone leaning forward in anticipation, when suddenly the oval emitted a bright flash, momentarily blinding her. Rubbing her eyes, Kagura squinted them open just in time to see the next part of the story appear through the fog...

"Into the forest the Cat flew, and it's be wise to move, or the trees might come down on you."

Shigure quickly jotted down the message, rereading it. "The trees might come down on you? What do you suppose that means...?" he asked, tapping his pencil against the table.

It started off low, a rumbling noise echoing outside in the distance, but with each passing second, the sound grew louder. Soon, the house was shaking, and Tohru found herself clutching onto the table for support. She winced, hearing crashes in the kitchen as dishes fell, shattering on the floor. "Wh-what's happening?"

Kagura huddled down in fear, "It feels like an earthquake!"

As the rumbling increased in volume, they could hear the crunching and cracking of...wood? Momiji watched the left over animal pieces rapidly jitter up and down on the table, eventually falling over the edge. As they clinked to the floor, the Rabbit stood on shaky feet and looked out the window. Eyes widened in fear, his knuckles grasped the windowsill. Spinning, Momiji screamed, stuttering, "L-landslide!"

Everyone sat erect, staring in horror at each other as they heard the hills around the Sohma house shudder and groan, the ground sliding in massive waves, the trees ripping from their roots.

"Get away from the window!" Shigure hollered, snapping out of it and grabbing the game. "Quickly, to the center of the house!"

As they scrambled to their feet, mud slammed into the house, a tree ripping through the walls. Kagura glimpsed quickly over her shoulder just as the tree crushed the very table they were sitting at, the fear forcing her legs to move faster. Glass shattered, showering Momiji before he could get away, a shard ripping into his arm, tearing away the skin. Ignoring the pain, he forced himself to move, running with the others to the stairwell. Another tree crashed into the house and with a scream, Tohru got thrown from her feet from the impact. Kyo skidded to a halt and spun around, gasping in horror as the debris and mud rose like a wave, ready to crash down on her. Tohru scrambled on her hands and knees, trying to rise to her feet, but kept losing her balance as the floor continued to shake. Half turning, her face twisted into terror as the wave of earth began to tumble down. She squeezed her eyes shut, but then suddenly was jerked to the side as the debris crashed to the floor.

Trembling, Tohru looked up finding Kyo. He shouted at her, but the words were lost over the noise. He yanked her violently to her feet, dragging her down the hall to the stairwell where everyone was waiting. Kagura took the shaking girl out of Kyo's hands, hugging her close.

When the mud finally slowed to a stop, silence hung in the air, the only noise being their ragged breathing. Tohru felt her legs wobbling in Kagura's arms, and knew that if she weren't supported, she would have fallen over. The Boar sat Tohru down, looking her over. Tohru looked okay, only a few minor scrapes; the girl was just in shock. Momiji, on the other hand, had a huge gash on his left arm where blood flowed freely from the wound, along with other cuts on his face.

"We have to call Hatori! Momiji is losing too much blood!" Haru cried. Removing his shirt, the Ox gently wrapped it over the wound, but was hesitant to add any pressure in case glass was embedded inside.

Without wasting any time, Shigure carefully picked his way back into what was left of the main room, wadding through the mud and climbing over the fallen trees, trying to reach the phone. Attaining his goal, he took a deep breath, lifting the receiver...

_Beeeee-_

Shigure sighed in relief. The phone line was still intact. Dialing from memory, Shigure prayed with each ring that the doctor would pick up...

Mind numb, Kagura plodded down the few steps to stand in the middle of the hallway. Surveying the remnants of the house with wide eyes, the Boar felt like she was suddenly pulled into something that was greatly out of anyone's control. Was this truly the magic of the game?

* * *

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

"Hello?"

"Hari! Come quick, Momiji's hurt, the house is a wreck, the trees-"

Hartori winced, holding the phone away from his ear, Shigure's shouting still very audible. Then, "Shigure, stop, calm down, slow down. What happened to Momiji?" The Dragon listened for a few more minutes before, "I'll be right over."

As Hatori pulled up to the house, he sat frozen in shock, his lit cigarette almost falling from his lips. Trees were uprooted and thick piles of mud and brush were piled all against the side of the house, the walls ripped apart. Luckily, the landslide only hit the back and partial siding of the home, as for the front was relatively undamaged. He put the car in park and grabbed his medical bag from the passenger's seat.

The house felt...different. Hatori couldn't place it, but he felt as if all of his senses grew stronger as he stepped through the door. It felt as if something were trying to pull him closer... Shaking it off, he walked down the hall and heard footsteps above him, so he turned to climb the stairs. Pausing at the bottom, he stared in awe at the massive destruction of the living room. Was the storm last night truly that bad, enough to shake the ground?

As the Dragon reached the top of the stairs, he could hear chattering coming from Yuki's room. Without hesitation, he strode towards the door, not bothering to knock before he pushed it open. Tohru, Kagura, Shigure, Haru, and Yuki were all crowded around the edge of the bed. Hatori absently wondered when Kagura got there, but he pushed the thought aside. Hearing the door open, Tohru had turned to greet him, but he ignored her, pushing her gently aside so he could get a better look at Momiji. "Tohru?" The Dragon looked to the brunette.

"Yes?" she asked, wringing her hands together nervously.

Returning his gaze to the Rabbit, he continued, "Would you mind getting me a bowl of warm water and some towels?" Out of the corner of his eye he saw the girl nod before exiting the room in a hurry. Placing a hand on Momiji's forehead, he asked, "How do you feel? Dizzy at all?"

Momiji shook his head. "Not dizzy. My arm stings a lot though."

Hatori nodded. Good. If the boy wasn't dizzy, then he hadn't lost too much blood. That, and he was still in human form. The wound was still oozing and had to be stopped soon, though. But to do that he had to make sure no glass was inside. Gently, Hatori removed the cloth that covered the Rabbit's arm and eyed the gash. He didn't think any shards were there, but he had to make sure.

Tohru returned with water and clean dish towels. Placing them on the night stand next to the bed, she asked if there was anything else she could do.

The Dragon smiled at the girl. "No, that will be all, thank you, Tohru." Taking one of the towels, he dipped it in the water before gently rubbing it over the wound. Momiji hissed at the contact, but remained silent.

Shigure watched Hatori clean the wound for a minute before turning to the others in the room. "Well, now that Hari is here, I'm sure Momitchi will be just fine. We better give the doctor some space, huh?" Shigure smiled, gesturing towards the door. Tohru, Kagura, and Yuki nodded and left. Hatsuharu, on the other hand, stayed firmly planted where he stood.

"I'd like to stay here with Momiji, if you don't mind," the Cow's voice was soft.

With a nod, Shigure made his way into the hallway. Taking a deep breath, he started downstairs. Now that Momiji was taken care of, what to do about his poor house...?

Yuki didn't know where to go. Kagura was with Tohru in her room. Kyo was missing. The downstairs was a mess and his room was occupied. He stood in the center of the hallway, thinking. That landslide, it happened so fast, but it had been hours since the rain stopped so it didn't make any sense - the ground should have been drying! Sighing, he walked to the wall and slumped down, not really knowing what else to do.


End file.
